


A Lucky Miss

by TheWholeDamnTime



Series: Tumblr Prompts and AUs [5]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-02
Updated: 2015-03-05
Packaged: 2018-02-23 14:33:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2551061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWholeDamnTime/pseuds/TheWholeDamnTime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I ran away from home and knocked on the wrong door but you want to take me in anyway" au, as inspired by one of those tumblr lists of AUs and prompts. Hope you all enjoy, and please feel free to comment/critique!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Three quick, sharp raps sounded on Fitz’s door. Brow furrowed, he put down the box of cheap Chinese food and went to check who it was.

“Skye? Can you let me in? I kind of… ran away again. Mum’s being all crazy and Dad… you know. I know it’s the third time this week but…” asked a quiet, feminine voice. As he stared out the peephole, all he could see was a pair of brown eyes and golden-brown hair flecked with icy white flakes. Even more confused than before, Leo opened the door, keeping the latch on for safety.

“I’m sorry, who are you?” he asked, looking down at the wisp of a girl in front of him. She couldn’t have been too much younger than he was, but she was still about a half foot shorter and had run away from her parents. _Definitely younger_. Her shoulders were dusted with snow and she seemed to be rather inadequately dressed for the weather, only wearing a collared shirt under a sweater. Immediately, she paled, then flushed bright red.

“I- I’m so sorry, I must have gotten the wrong building, I’m so sorry, I-”

“It’s fine,” he interjected, trying to stop her frantic stuttering. “You said you know Skye?” The girl nodded. “She’s my friend, and you missed her building by two streets.” Immediately, her eyes widened. “Give me a second to open the door.” With that, he closed the door and reached for the chain. Then he paused. What exactly was he doing? Shrugging to himself, he unbolted the door and opened it fully. “Sorry about that. M’ name’s Fitz.”

“Oh, _you’re_ Fitz,” she said, recognizing the name immediately, “the engineer. Skye’s always telling me I should meet you. I’m Simmons, Jemma Simmons.” Leo blinked once.

 _“You should really meet her, you know. You guys have so much in common! Child prodigies, incredible geeks, English and almost-English,” (he threw a cookie at her for that,) “friends with the most amazing programmer in the world…” Leo threw another cookie followed by a pillow at the bubbly hacker and she laughed. “What? You two would_ totally _hit it off.”_

“You’re Simmons! Biochemistry, right?” Simmons nodded, a light smile on her face. “Well, wasn’t really expecting company, but would you like to come in?” Immediately, the smile dropped, and for some reason, his gut dropped with it.

“I- I should get going to Skye’s. It’s… complicated,” she sighed, rubbing her arm. Fitz’s brow pinched again, watching her shiver as the ice began to dampen more of the sweater.

“Y ou’re wearing nothing but a jumper, it’s dark, and it’s snowing like mad outside. Skye’ll never let me hear the end of it if I let you go like that. Please, come in.” Her brow furrowed as well, but she sighed and nodded a bit. He stepped to the side to let her in, closing the door behind her and immediately rushing to clean up various pieces of clothing and trash littered around the floor. When it was semi-presentable, he glanced up to see Simmons smiling at him a bit, an edge of laughter on her lips. “What? I’m a messy guy,” he said with a grin and a hand on the back of his neck. “Make yourself comfortable,” he said, walking to the kitchen and pouring a glass of steaming water into a mug. “Tea?”

“Yes, please,” she said, settling on the couch, pulling her knees up to her chest. “Milk and a touch of sugar?” He nodded and scooped in a tiny spoonful of the white granules into her cup, then a few generous spoonfuls into his own. Mugs in hand, he turned to see a horrified expression peeking over the edge of the couch.

“What?” he snapped out, not aggressively, but defensively. Her face looked as though he had committed some kind of sin and it only faded off her face when he handed her the steaming beverage.

“Would you like some tea with that sugar?” she quipped in reply, gratefully wrapping her hands around the warmth of the mug and smiling as he joined her. “Thank you, though.”

“No problem. A friend of Skye’s is a friend of mine.” Simmons gave a gentle smile at that, raising the rim to her lips and taking a small sip. “How’d you meet her?” Immediately, the girl seemed to pep up, words bubbling out of her.

“Oh, Skye and I have known each other since we were kids. She was adopted by Mr. Coulson when she was five, and my family moved right next door about the same time, so we’ve hung out ever since. She used to let me do experiments on her, as long as she could pay me back with atrocious day-long makeovers. Still do, in fact.” Leo grinned at that, remembering the day Skye had shown up to work with various splotches on her arms, desperately covered up with sloppy foundation. “What about you?”

“We met through work. We both work for the same company- I just work the engineering bit, and she the programming.” Simmons nodded politely and took another sip.

“Oh, are those your designs?” she asked, nodding towards a small pile of blueprint scrolls in the corner. He affirmed the thought and brought over an armful, and together they went over the designs. As they reached the modified gun, he saw her flinch.

“Oh, no, it’s not a gun. I call it the pickachu,” he said, unrolling a design for the bullets. “I can’t figure out the source for the electricity, though. I made an internal source and charge, it’s just not large enough-”

“-to take out someone,” she finished for him. Her brow furrowed. “What if you didn’t use electricity?”

“What?”

“Well, it’s just a concept, but I’ve been reading up on the dendrotoxins of jellyfish and-” with that, she began to ramble, and soon the two were swapping ideas and finishing each other’s sentences with the ease of longtime partners. Finally, as all the ideas concluded, they looked at each other and Fitz found himself struggling to find something to say. _What do you say to someone you just clicked with?_ Quietly, he rolled up the scrolls again, his hands simply needing the movement. Slowly, the silence became awkward and Leo scrambled through his brain looking for a conversation piece.

“Your mum-” he stuttered out, causing the girl to jerk her head up in alarm. “I mean, what happened? You said you ran away from your mum?” Her eyes were immediately downcast and a little bit of nervous shifting made springs creak. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“No, no, it’s okay. I’m crashing your place, after all, I believe you deserve to know why.” She took a deep breath. “I was, well, according to Skye, like you. Child prodigy, and my mum… My parents always pushed me. And recently, it’s been a bit… too hard. She’s pushing and pushing, and even though I have a part-time job and I’m still in school and working and everything, they keep pushing me, telling me I’m not doing enough, even though it’s winter break, and, well, here I am. Running.” She took another long breath and seemed to hide behind her mug of tea.

“Oh. Okay,” he said, not sure where to go from there. His tongue was caught by the images running in his own head, of being “the freaky genius kid” to his classmates and brother, of running from the verbal atrocities thrown at him while his mother’s back was turned, of disappearing into the nearby park for the days and only spending the nights hiding in his sheets. “I- I kind of understand. The running thing.” Slowly, he explained his own situation. He watched as her cup lowered and tentative eyes grew softer.

“Yeah,” she murmured as he concluded. Red flushing his cheeks, he looked into his tea. He felt a gentle hand on his knee, and they sat there in a more comfortable quiet, connected by their experiences.

“So it’s dark outside. Do you want to crash here?” he asked after a while.

“Is it okay?”

“Where else could you go, Simmons?”

“Jemma.”

“What?”

“You can call me Jemma,” she said quietly. “If you want to, of course.” He nodded.

“Okay, Jemma,” he said, tasting the name on his lips, “I guess you call me Leo, then.” She smiled back at him.

“Sounds lovely. And a good point, _Leo_.” She beamed at him as she used his name. Then, there was a pause. “Can I borrow something to sleep in tonight?” He nodded and went to his room, gesturing for her to follow. After digging through his drawers, he pulled out a pair of pajama pants and an old t-shirt, tossing them across the room to her.

“Bathroom’s adjacent to here if you want to change there, or I can step out and you can change in here. Whatever’s best.” She nodded and headed towards the bathroom, and Leo slipped back into the living room area, throwing blankets on the couch. When she emerged in the too-big clothing, a few slightly blue-black splotches on her arms caught his eye. “What happened?” he asked, indicating the marks. She paused, sucked in a breath, and he watched as her eyes darted around as though looking for a reason.

“I, um…” Her breathing was becoming slightly faster, just barely choked, and suddenly everything clicked together in Leo’s head.

“Oh my god, did your mum…?” A tiny shake of her head. “…Dad?” There was a pause, and then she inclined her head just the smallest bit.

“It’s just…” she whispered, her voice trailing off a bit.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to explain,” he told her, walking to where she was and leaning slightly on the doorframe. “If you want… well, you can stay as long as you like.” She nodded, then reached forward to pull him into a hug. He tightened his arms around her a moment, then let go as she stepped back.

“Thanks.” Her voice was a whisper, warding off tears.

“No problem. You can have the bed,” he said, making for the couch. Immediately, her face scrunched up.

“What? No, it’s your flat, you get the bed.” Her voice was still cracked along the edges, but was slowly strengthening as he took the topic away. He shook his head and their eyes locked. The corner of Simmons’s mouth twitched up. Then suddenly they were both rushing for the couch, Leo trying to push her off and Jemma whacking him over the head with a pillow.

“I’ll take the couch! My couch!”

“You’ll take _that_ , you chivalrous Scot!”

 _Whump_.

“Oof! You want to play that game? Down with England!”

“Oh don’t you-” With that, he tackled her onto the mess of puffy blankets he had gathered and covered her up to her neck in the heavy comforter. As she tried to claw her way out, laughter bubbling from her lips, there was the sound of pounding on the door.

“You kids shut up in there! Some of us reasonable people are trying to sleep!” snapped the growling old man from 229 C in a thick Bulgarian accent. Leo sighed and sat back, letting Jemma pull herself from the snare of blankets.

“Sorry, Mr. Khidra,” Leo called back. “We’re going to bed, we swear.” A lough hrumph came from outside and Fitz rolled his eyes.

“You better be! And no canoodling! These walls are paper thin!” With that, the sounds of the irritated neighbor slowly faded and Jemma broke out in laughter.

“Is he always like that?”

“You should see him when I accidentally blow something up,” laughed the engineer in response. The two broke down in fits of laughter.

“Aaaand,” Simmons said, beaming at her new friend, “I won. You even tucked me in,” she said, gesturing to where the sheets wrapped around her lower half. An exasperated sigh escaped Fitz and he sagged in defeat.

“Fine, you win for now.” Lifting himself up off the couch he headed to his room, flicking off the light switch as he went. “Goodnight, Jemma,” he said, pausing by his door.

“Goodnight, Leo,” she sighed with a light yawn, snuggling into the blankets.

With a smile, Fitz slipped into his own bed and flicked out the lights, feeling a bubble of warm contentedness as he drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Khidra is “hydra” in Bulgarian, or at least according to Google translate it is. I suck with naming stuff, so I couldn't really help myself :P Also, the title is "A Lucky Miss" because she missed Skye's building but luckily found Leo's... If anyone has better suggestions, please tell me, as my title skills are far below adequate :)


	2. Chapter 2

He woke up to screaming. Immediately, he was out of bed and racing into the living room to find the couch vacated. “ _Jemma?!_ ” The screaming echoed around the apartment and he found her cowering in a corner, knees to her chest and hands clutching her head. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she was screaming, begging for someone to stop. She was shaking and writhing a bit, twisting back and forth in the fetal position.

“Please, please, stop! Don’t- _Please!_ ” He crouched down and reached out and gently wrapped his hands around her wrists, trying to keep her from hurting herself. Her struggling only increased, the screams echoing around the building.

“Jemma, Jemma, it’s me, Fitz!” he called over the screaming. His hands left her wrists and rested on her shoulders instead, shaking her just a touch to help her awaken. Suddenly, she gasped and her eyes shot open, legs immediately scrambling to press farther into the corner. “Jemma?” His voice was breathy, whisper soft now. Immediately her voice broke in a sob and she collapsed forward, crying tearing its way from her throat. Leo shot towards her, catching her small form in his arms. She stayed there, arms wrapped around his neck and her body shuddering in his arms with each sob. Fitz couldn’t help but be a bit lost. How was he supposed to react? What was he supposed to do? To say? So instead of doing something big, he tucked himself around her a little tighter, a little safer. A little bit of shifting until he was settled into a more comfortable position, and then he just sat there, stroking her back with a gentle hand and murmuring mindless comforts into her hair. Slowly, her shaking slowed, breathing quieted, and soon she was quietly resting in his arms, body lax against his. A gentle brush of her hair revealed shut eyes and a resting face still glistening with light tears. His brow furrowed for a moment, then he gently lowered her to the floor. _Can’t lift her, but…_ Gently untangling himself, he rushed to the couch and carried back the blankets and pillows, settling them in a nest and softly tucking her into them. Then came the three sharp raps on the door.

“Sorry, Mr. Khidra,” sighed Leo as he swung it open.

“You damned kids! What’s going on now?! It’s three in the _fucking_ morning!” The man was clearly steaming with anger, fists clenching and shoulders up, marching in place as though he was the perfect caricature of anger.

“It’s a bad dream. She has PTSD or something,” he spouted, hoping it wasn’t actually true as he said it. That led the shuffling, puffing man to pause, beady eyes trying to seek out Fitz’s lie. After a moment, though, he sighed and backed down, turning and walking off with a grumble of “just keep it down.”

Leo returned to the kitchen and sat down next to Jemma’s curled up form. Slowly, he realized he was nodding off, but as his brain turned blurry, he realized he didn’t care.

In the morning, he woke up to the feeling of shuffling next to him. Simmons was pulling herself up beside him, blearily blinking and swiveling her head around in confusion.

“Where- What-” she mumbled.

“Five minutes,” he grumbled, burrowing his head down into the fluff of blankets and pillows. “Jus’ five minutes more.”

“ _Fitz_.”

“Fine.” Letting out a long groan, he turned over and tried to sit up. “Ugh, nope. Five minutes.” Then he felt Jemma’s hands on his, tugging on him to try and get him upright.

“C’mon, Fitz.” Sighing at her persistence, he sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Good. Now- er… why are we…?” Turning to her with a bleary, sleepy expression on his face, he scrunched his brow at her, squinting to look at her expression.

“You don’ remember?” _His accent’s thicker in the mornings_. Jemma quickly shook her head to clear the thought, then realized that he had taken that for an answer. _Well, at least it was true_. “Really?” She repeated the motion. “Well… Y’ were screaming. I came out, an’ you were in tha’ corner, screamin’ at th’ top o’ your lungs. Y’ were curled up or somethin’, and beggin’ someone t’ stop whatever it was. Y’ were cryin’ an’ so I held y’ and calmed y’ down, and when y’ fell asleep, I brought out th’ blankets an’ things.” A hand rubbed the back of his red neck. “Hope y’ don’ mind tha’ I fell asleep here as well.”

“N-no, it’s- it’s okay.” He cocked his head a bit to the side.

“Y’ sure you’re okay?” As his eyes continued to focus, he shivering slowly became apparent. A hand reached out to cover hers- she wasn’t cold. “Jemma, what’s wrong?”

“I- I don’t remember the dream, but…” There was a pause where Leo felt her fingers slip through his. “Skye says when I sleep over, sometimes I have- I have dreams where my dad…” Wordlessly, she gestured to her arms, then entwined their fingers again. Slim appendages played with his own, rougher, calloused fingers and her eyes were fixated on the tangle of them in her lap. “I’ll scream and cower and cry and in the morning I won’t remember a thing. It’s just… an aftereffect. I- I’m so sorry you had to deal with that, I really am.”

“It’s no’ your fault.” Her gaze flew to his face. “It’s your da’s fault, an’ none o’ your own. Don’ blame y’self for th’ things he’s done t’ y’.” Eyes glanced down at their hands again, then watched as she pulled her soft hands away. Instead, she threw her arms around his neck in a tight hug, which after a moment of surprise, he returned, threading his arms around her waist.

“Thank you,” came the soft whisper.

They stayed like that for a moment, wreathed in warmth and comfort. Jemma was reluctant when she knew it was time to pull away, giving him one last squeeze before detangling their bodies. “So do you want breakfast?” he asked as they stood and he began gathering the blankets in his arms. She picked up the pillows and went to throw them on the couch.

“That would be nice. What do you usually eat?”

“Well, to be completely honest… anything, really. Whatever I can grab and chow down.” Jemma rolled her eyes and took a few blankets from him, throwing three next to her and folding another.

“I can cook, if you have ingredients.” His mouth pinched a bit. “Think of it as a thank-you for letting me stay over.” He sighed and relented.

“Fine. I think I have some mixes and stuff that I gave up on the last time I set a fire in the kitchen.”

“The _last_ time?”

“I can’t cook.”

“Oh, _that_ wasn’t evident at _all_.” Grinning, he threw a pillow at her. “But seriously, I’ll cook breakfast.”

“Thanks.”

“It’s a thank-you for letting me crash here,” she repeated, waving her hand dismissively. “Besides, if I’m going to go cook, you’re folding the rest of these.” With a teasing grin, she threw the pillow back and bounced off to the kitchen. Instead of protesting, Fitz found he could only grin.


	3. Chapter 3

Twenty minutes later, Jemma exited the kitchen with a stack of whipped cream and mixed fruit (found in the freezer) pancakes to find Fitz watching the weather, all blankets neatly folded at the end of the couch. Looking up, he moved over so she could sit, gratefully accepting his plate. “Thanks. Smells delicious.” She only smiled and handed him a fork. “We’re snowed in for at least two more days,” he continued, gesturing towards the screen. “Sorry. You’re a bit stuck with me.”

“I’m so sorry for imposing,” Jemma cut in, eyes a bit wide. “If I hadn’t missed Skye’s building, I wouldn’t have gotten you stuck with me. I’m so sorry.” Fitz just shook his head.

“How could I say you’re imposing? I mean, these pancakes are amazing!” he said with a grin, and her laughter at his whipped-cream mustache covered the droning of the television.

Then the three slamming noises on the door.

“You damn kids need to shut up! It’s too early for your loud shit!” There was a sigh, and Leo wiped his upper lip before opening the door.

“Good morning, Mr. Khidra.”

“You kids need to tone it down with your laughter and your antics! I need my sleep and if you don’t have the courtesy to keep your mouths shut, I’ll file a complaint!” With that, he turned around and disappeared in a flurry of anger. Fitz sighed and closed the door, turning to see Jemma staring, wide-eyed with a loose jaw.

“It’s 10:30!”

“Yeah. Your point?” he asked, flopping down on the couch again. “Cranky old man will complain about anything. Last night, during the… thing,” he offered, avoiding anything that could be triggering, “he came over and complained. His complaining was louder than you were.”

“He’s quite the neighbor.” Leo nodded empathetically, face once more full of pancakes. “Is he always like this?”

“He’s usually like this to the other neighbors. I don’t really bring people over, so…” He shrugged before shoveling and chewing another mouthful of breakfast. Jemma’s row scrunched.

“Nobody?”

“Nope.”

“No friends? Girlfriends? No one?”

“Have very few, have had none since I got the place, and nope.”

“Oh.” There was another pause as Simmons took a bite, eyes fixated on the television reporter. “Sorry for crashing your man-cave.”

“Not a man-cave, but no problem.”

“Totally a man-cave.”

“Is not.”

“Proof: lack of most basic cooking supplies in the kitchen, too many take-out menus and microwave food, dirty clothing scattered about the floors, and everything randomly thrown about with very little aesthetic value.”

“…Fine. Maybe it’s a little bit of a man-cave.” Jemma grinned in triumph as he rolled his eyes. “I was actually going to clean today,” he added defensively.

“Sure you were.”

“To be honest, I usually get distracted.”

“I knew it.” Putting her now-empty plate down. She turned towards him, bouncing on the couch. “So I’m going to help you.”

“What?”

“Help you. Clean. You obviously need to focus, and I’m stuck here anyways.” Skepticism played in his eyes. “Tell me you have something better to do.” There was a pause.

“Fine, you win,” he groaned. “Again.” Jemma nearly celebrated, but satisfied herself with beaming and bouncing up to take their plates back to the kitchen. “On one condition, though!” Fitz called after her.

“Yes?” she called back, turning on the water and running the sticky plates under the flow.

“I get to choose what we do tomorrow!” She nearly laughed. _He’s a child_.

“Deal!”

After Jemma turned on some music, they started with the living room. Leo decided that since his new guest would be staying there for another night, it was the best room to start with. While she started wandering around the room with a trash can, he tried to sort through his various designs.  _Repeats in the same folders, larger versions in tubes on the back wall, and…_ Work went on for hours, occasionally punctured with Jemma’s soft singing or Fitz’s humming along to various songs. They only stopped for a quick lunch and returned to work afterwards. Slowly, the flat began to clear up. The designs were sorted, the floor was almost clean, and they had moved onto sorting through the shelves. Then-

“Leo, do you own a cat?” His head shot up to find Simmons bent down in front of the couch, peering into the blackness.

“No.”

“Well, you do now.” There was a pause. “I actually think it might have been here all night. It’s got some of your noodles from last night on its whiskers.” Fitz just sat next to the large pile of papers, then moved next to her, eyes following hers. Two reflections glimpsed back at him, emerging from the dark like demon eyes. Fitz sat upright and Jemma followed his movements, looking at him for a reaction.

“Well then.”

“I’ll go get a duster.” She got up and headed to the kitchen, returning moments later with the fluffy cleaning device. “Hope it’s friendly,” she added before swiping the object along the edge of the couch. Twin laser-beam eyes followed it as it came back for a second pass. On the third, a tiny paw darted out to take a swipe. “That’s right, c’mere kitty,” coaxed Simmons.

Then, all at once, a blur of grey launched itself out from under the couch and towards the duster, noodles indeed stuck to its whiskers. Setting the duster down for the kitten to poke and prod at, Jemma tentatively reached out a hand. A small pink nose quivered, then relaxed as it rubbed itself along her fingers.

“Oh, good kitty,” she cooed, running her hand down its back. Her hands gently grasped it and lifted it into her arms, checking his underside before letting it settle into the warmth of her hold. “It’s a girl. No more than four or five months, not neutered, still has claws, not in great condition,” she said, running a finger down its ribs, “and I don’t see any identification either, so probably a stray.” She looked up. “What’s this building’s pet policy?”

“Anything smaller than a beagle is okay.” Jemma smiled.

“So we can keep her until we can leave, at least. Then you can take her to the pound, or,” she added, eyeing Fitz’s reaction as she handed the small creature to him, “you can keep her.” He flinched a bit as its weight settled into him, but the tension in his shoulders started to fade as it looked up at him and let out a small mewling sound. “Oh, she likes you!”

“Um, do you see any poop down there?” Jemma looked again, then came back up with a small smile.

“No. She must have slipped in earlier, then, when I opened the window.”

“You opened a window?”

“It was only for a bit! Your room needed some fresh air and it wasn’t snowing anymore,” she protested.

“You let a cat in!”

“On the contrary, a rather lovely kitten in need of a home.”

“ _Jemma_.”

“Oh, don’t deny that you don’t like the cat.” Fitz looked down into his arms, where he was absent-mindedly stroking the small creature. As he met its little blue eyes, it mewled again and burrowed its head into his side, starting to purr. He didn’t answer. “That’s what I thought. Do you know which of your neighbors has a cat?”

“Miss Ngeru, room 227 A. She’s just down the hall. You’ll know it’s her, she’s got the New Zealand door knocker.”

“I’m going to go get some kitty litter.”


	4. Chapter 4

She returned twenty minutes later with a box of litter and a few cat toys, tossing one to Leo as she walked in the door. This resulted in the kitten launching itself at his hands, a catapulting ball of grey fur. As Fitz immediately began to play with the cat, Simmons commented, “You’re keeping her, aren’t you?”

“Er- yeah, yeah, probably.”

“You should name her.”

“We.”

“What?”

“ _We_ should name her. You found her as well, she’s just as much of your cat as mine.”

“Oh. Well, I’m not keeping her. She’s yours.”

“I’m bad with names.”

“So am I.” There was a pause between the two and the kitten mewled in the silence. “Can I use your laptop?” Fitz’s brow furrowed at the request, but he nodded and handed her the slim silver computer from its spot on the coffee table. Flipping it open, her brow scrunched to match his. “Password?”

“It’s the chemical formula for dopamine.” There was a pause, then a flurry of typing as the letters resurfaced in her memory.

“Why?” she asked, entering the final few letters and clicking around, eyes fixated to the screen.

“Reminds me to be happy. Bit cliché, but it works, occasionally.” He cringed, awaiting judgment, but she just nodded, pages scrolling by reflected in her gaze.

“Mint.”

“What?”

“Random pet name generator. Mint?”

“No. Doesn’t sound right.”

“Dot?”

“No.”

“Smokey?”

“Hmmm… No.”

“Luna?”

“She’s not a Lovegood, no.”

“Jewel?”

“No… Wait.” Jemma looked up. “How about Sapphire? Look at her eyes,” he offered, lifting up the kitten to stare at her with ice-blue eyes.

“Ooh, you’re right. Look at your pretty little eyes,” she cooed to the cat. “Okay, Sapphire it is, then.” A smile bloomed over her face as she took the small creature from him and cradled it, making soft noises to sooth it.

“So now we have a Jem and a Sapphire,” Leo added with a grin. Simmons threw a pillow at him, but her face was alight with laughter.

“You did that on purpose!”

“ _Maybe_ ,” he admitted, moving closer to stroke the bridge between Sapphire’s eyes. “Still fits, though, so we’re keeping it.” Jemma just rolled her eyes and leaned on him a bit as she guided Sapphire across to Fitz’s lap. As the cat curled up on his leg, she stayed there, head tilted on his shoulder, side lightly pressing into his, and Fitz felt a warmth spread through him. The whole thing felt cozy, almost homey, which was rather ridiculous. He had met Jemma yesterday and found the cat under the couch almost an hour ago. And yet, everything just seemed to be in its place.

After a few moments, Simmons let out a long breath and sat upright, pulling her fingers from the soft grey fur. “I’ll go check the kitchen for dinner, yeah?”

“Yeah,” he said softly, already feeling a gap where her warmth was pressed up on his side. “D’ya need help?”

“Yes please,” she admitted with a small smile, standing and lifting the kitten from his lap and settling it in her arms like a baby. “I can hardly navigate my way through your kitchen.” He smiled and followed her up and into the small side room, popping open the refrigerator and scanning over the ingredients.

“You own a lot of canned soup,” commented Simmons from the pantry. “Do you have cheese and bread? We can make grilled cheese and tomato soup.” As she spoke, her eyes scanned over cans and small boxes of various soups. “Or whatever these are.”

“I have cheddar, Swiss, and Monterey jack.”

“Perfect. Can you put the soup on?”

“If you’ll go turn on some music,” he replied, already getting out the pot.

“Of course.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, a bit of a quickie, but I couldn't break up the next section, so I promise a longer, fluffier chapter next time!


	5. Chapter 5

She was smiling as she turned on the stereo, flipping around on the iPod until she found a song she liked. As the first few notes danced out of the speaker, she moved to the beat, then looked to the kitchen, where Leo was slicing the cheese as the soup bubbled on the stove, Sapphire watching the movement of his hands with a bobbing head. “Fitz, come here.” He placed the knife on the counter and tilted his head. “Come on,” she repeated, holding out a hand in his direction. He rolled his eyes and walked over to her.

“Dance with me?” Her hand slid into his as she spoke, a smile on her lips.

“I- I don’t dance,” he tried, voice catching in his throat. “At all, really. I’m terrible. Absolutely horrid.”

“Come on.”

“Like, blindingly bad. Do we want to scar the kitten?”

“ _Fitz_.”

“And I have food to prep,” he added, turning halfway towards the kitchen. In response, she tugged on his hand until his body faced her again.

“ _Oh, don’t you dare look back, just keep your eyes on me, I said you’re holding back_ ,” she sang, letting a few words slip by before tugging him a bit closer and finishing “ _shut up and dance with me!_ ” He laughed and spun her around under his arm, letting her pull him into some klutzy, stumbling dancing. She mainly led, but as the song started drawing to a close, Fitz realized he was pulling her closer to him, spinning her into his arms at the last couple notes and leaving them facing each other, both a little breathless, faces centimeters away from each other. And as their eyes met, something in the air shifted.

Leo wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. She was so close that he was breathing in her little puffs of breath, and her his. He felt himself leaning closer, closer, her matching his movements perfectly. They were so close, so close, their lips almost brushing, just barely tapping against each other.

Then a noise like a rhino trying to bust through the door startled them apart, the three loud knocks echoing through the small flat.

“You goddamn kids! What have I told you about noise! Turn off that damn music or so help me, I’ll call the landlord on your asses!” Fitz sighed and opened the door, leaving the chain on.

“Mr. Khidra, the music is on rather low. There’s no way you could have heard it through the walls. Your room is on the opposite side of the bedroom. It’s almost impossible for this sound level to penetrate two walls and a large room.”

“It’s too loud, and you damn kids are just trying to weasel your way out of it!” Leo groaned and raised a hand to his forehead.

“Mr. Khidra, please be reasonable. It’s not even late, even if you could hear it. It’s barely six in the afternoon, all sorts of people are making noise at this hour.”

“You and that girl are trouble! Nothing but trouble! I’m calling the landlord!” With that, he spun around and stormed off. The sound of the slamming door reached Leo and he sighed again, closing the door behind him. Turning back to Jemma, he was startled to see her scrolling through his contacts, then hitting a button and calling.

“Hello, are you Fitz’s landlord?” Immediately, Fitz rushed over, trying to grab the phone away, but she twisted away and put a finger to her lips with a smile. “Hi, my name is Jemma Simmons. I’m staying with Fitz right now, and I wanted to report Mr. Khidra.” A pause. “Yes, I realize that Mr. Khidra is usually the one making complaints, but the sheer quantity of times he’s been over here in the past twenty-four hours is ridiculous. He has come over here to complain about our low noise levels, which he shouldn’t be able to hear through the walls. We’ve been as careful as possible to keep from making too much of a racket. Is it possible you could give him a warning?” There was another pause and Leo felt faint. A small voice was rambling a bit at the other end, but he didn’t sound angry… At least as far as he could tell. “Thank you very much, sir. Have a lovely afternoon.” Then she flushed beet red. “Oh, I’m not- no- um, thank you. Good bye.” Leo just about fell onto the couch.

“What did you _do_?” She just beamed at him and tossed back his cell. “I need to put a passcode on this thing.”

“But I helped.”

“ _Jemma_.”

“I did!” she cried, grin plastered on her face. “He’s going to talk to Mr. Khidra about moving to an upper floor, right next to the elevator. It’s not only got less people, but means less walking for his old legs.” Her last words quivered with a barely repressed giggle. “Apparently, he complains about everyone on the floor.”

“And what about that last bit?” A deeper shade of crimson splattered across her cheeks.

“What last bit?”

“You know what I mean.”

“N-n-no, no, what- what makes you think- I am not a mind reader.”

“You really can’t lie.”

“Um, well… Your landlord thought I was…” She flushed red and shifted a bit, her eyes on her hands. “Well, he told me to convey that you were lucky to have found such a lovely girlfriend.” There was a moment of pause.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” Images of Jemma dancing with him, of her body pressed up against his, of the almost-touch of her lips flashed through his mind and he abruptly stood up, movements sharp and robotic.

“I should- I should go finish prepping food. And stuff. Yeah.” With that, he made it into the kitchen to find the kitten gnawing on the edge of the block of cheese. “ _Sapphire_ ,” he sighed, taking it away from her and chopping off the end. He offered the chewed stump to her and she took it again, satisfied smacking noises coming from her mouth as she watched Leo’s hands. Then, in a sudden movement, she catapulted herself towards the cabinet that Jemma has placed the litter box in.


	6. Chapter 6

“We’re lucky,” Simmons said, casually checking the open cupboard, “she seems to already know where to go to the bathroom.”

“Thank god.”

“I’ve read that some cats like the texture of the sand better, so they’re more inclined to go there. Or maybe she’s just special. Either way, we’re lucky.”

“No kidding,” Leo commented, moving to the stove and then suddenly looking down in horror. “Um, Simmons, I think it might be- uh, what do I- oh, shit, _Jemma_!” he cried as the pot started to boil over. She was by his side in a flash, lifting the lid with one of his shirts- an improvised potholder- and stirring the bubbling liquid with a steady hand.

“It’s fine. Can you go throw the sandwiches on the pan?” She heard them land with a _hiss_ on the skillet and turned to see him leaning as far away as he could before dropping a lid over the top. “You build guns and explosives and all sorts of dangerous equipment, but you’re scared of sandwiches on a griddle?” He flushed red. “Dork. I’m teaching you to cook if we’re stuck here another day.”

“Or you could, you know, stick around for a while longer,” he said off-handedly. She glanced up with a raised eyebrow. “I mean- um, never mind.” With that, he flushed as red as the soup and turned to watch the pan with a focus she had only seen when they had gone over the blueprints. With a smirk on her lips, she lifted the lid and flipped the sandwiches, enjoying how awkwardly he shifted so she didn’t brush against him. Carefully ladling the soup into two bowls, she handed them to him and instructed him to bring them over to the coffee table as she finished up the sandwiches. When she did, she followed him to the couch. As they settled on their respective ends, Sapphire decided to settle between them, occasionally being fed scraps of crust and cheese by a smiling Leo.

“You know that can’t be too good for her, right?” asked Jemma as he gifted the kitten an especially gooey bit of cheese.

“It’s only a little bit.”

“Fine. You’re so easy, though.” Fitz looked up, somewhere between startled and reproachful.

“Easy?”

“She gives you those big, wide eyes and you crumble,” Jemma said with light laughter on her lips.

“Do not!”

“Do too,” she protested, comically widening her eyes and putting on a slightly pathetic face, earning a laugh and a piece of crust thrown in her direction, quickly followed by a grey blur.

“Do not,” he repeated, leaning forward to retrieve the feline. Quickly, Jemma grabbed for the cat as well, keeping him from taking her.

“Aww, are you jealous that the kitty loves me?” she teased, pulling Sapphire back into her arms and putting her legs up on the couch between them.

“Hey! My cat!” he protested, still smiling.

“Well, come and get her,” Simmons teased. As Leo picked up a pillow and moved to hit her with it, but she raised the kitten in defense. “You wouldn’t hit a poor widdle kitty, would you Leo?” she asked, setting the bundle of grey back on her chest. Fitz grinned and instead got on his knees on the couch, towering over her.

“Rawr!” he laughed, letting himself fall forward until he was almost on top of her, arms holding himself so he didn’t crush the two of them. Simmons laughed as she let go of the cat and gave his shoulders a little half-hearted shove. Sapphire bolted for the bedroom and Leo realized right then what kind of position he had gotten them into. “Um.”

“Hi,” offered Jemma in a weak voice.

“Hi.” There was a pause as they took in what was happening. His eyes glanced over her face, a little flushed and breathing a little ragged from laughter. _She has really nice lips_. Shaking his head vigorously, he scrambled upright and quickly stood. Awkwardly, he glanced around until his gaze fell on the television. Turning back to her, he gestured awkwardly to the screen and offered, “Um, movie?”

“Sure,” she said, pulling herself up to sit cross-legged on his couch. If he hadn’t known better, he would have thought she looked disappointed.

“How’s the first Lord of the Rings sound?” he asked, rummaging through his small drawer of movies.

“Sounds perfect.” Slipping the disk into the DVD player, he returned to the couch and flopped down on his end. As the previews rolled, Jemma gathered up the dishes and walked towards the kitchen where he could hear them clatter into the sink. She returned just as the movie started, settling down next to him on the couch, their shoulders almost brushing. In the back of his mind, Fitz wished he was a bit less perceptive. Hardly any of his attention was on the movie, but instead on the brush of Jemma’s shoulder or the way she was gently petting the kitten in her lap. _Get it together!_

“Fitz?” He jumped at her voice, turning to see her concerned expression.

“Y-yeah?”

“Are you alright? You were frowning and you’re jumpy.” Fitz sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“Yeah, sorry. Just a bit tired and frazzled right now. Between the cat and Mr. Khidra and everything…” She nodded at his explanation, turning back to the movie. After a moment, she smiled a little and turned to offer him the cat.

“Here.” He must have looked confused, because she continued, “Petting animals is supposed to lower both stress and blood pressure.”

 _Mew_ , added Sapphire.

“Thanks,” he said, smiling at her and gently taking the cat into his lap. Maybe Jemma was right, but as he gently ran a hand down the cat’s back, he felt a little more at ease. About fifteen minutes later, Sapphire purring and the movie still running, he felt Simmons lean her head against his shoulder, and he felt himself stiffen in surprise. She quickly turned to him with worry in her eyes.

"Um, is this- is this alright?" 

"Yeah, sorry, you just- you just surprised me, that's all," he stuttered, quickly trying to make amends. She nodded and leaned back into him, and cautiously Fitz lifted his arm and slid it around her back. Glancing down he saw her smile a little and press into him a little more. Absent-mindedly his fingers started tracing patterns on her shoulder, little shapes and circles intertwined. Sapphire was purring contentedly in his lap, Jemma was pulling her feet up next to her so that she was snuggled against him, Lord of the Rings was playing in the background and Fitz couldn't help but feel like everything was perfectly in its place.

Then Jemma's phone buzzed.        

Groaning slightly, she sat up and leaned towards the coffee table. Immediately, she paled and Fitz paused the movie. Shaking hands picked up the phone, and as the phone stopped its vibrating, Fitz could see the screen read _15 missed messages and 18 missed calls_ from a contact labeled “Parents”. Before she could do anything, though, it began to buzz again, this time the contact reading “Skye”. Quickly, Jemma answered the phone and moved back to lean against Fitz.

“Hey, Skye?” There was a pause. “I’ll tell you if you don’t tell my dad. …Good, I didn’t expect you to, I just had to make sure. I’m… Well, I’m at Fitz’s apartment.” Then, a longer pause while Fitz inwardly cringed. Then, Jemma covered the mouthpiece with a hand and looked up at him.

“She wants me to put it on speakerphone.” He let out a small groan at her words, but nodded. Quickly, Jemma went back to the phone, saying, “Yes, okay, Skye, give me a second.” Hitting the proper buttons, the placed it on the table in front of them and leaned back, saying, “Skye, you’re on speaker.” There was a pause.

“Both of you. Explain. _Now_.”

“What?” asked Jemma, quickly followed by Fitz’s question of “What on earth needs to be explained?”

“Jemma, since when have you known Fitz?” There was a pause.

“I think… since yesterday, around five?” Jemma asked, glancing at Fitz. He nodded affirmative, and so she reiterated, “Yeah, around five.”

“And you were planning to tell me when? Also, how the hell did this even _happen?!_ ” cried the exasperated voice across the phone. “Fitz, tell me you didn’t take her home from a bar or something.”

“ ** _Skye!_** ” they both cried at once. Loud laughter greeted them from the other end, and Jemma shifted against Fitz’s side.

“No, but seriously, explain how this happened.” Simmons sighed, but Leo jumped in before she could speak.

“Skye, you know how you and I live in the same apartment number and floor, just three buildings down? And you thought it was the funniest thing that one time you got drunk over here and laughed so hard you fell over and passed out?” Little vibrations shook up his arm as Jemma giggled.

“Leopold Fitz, I hate you for bringing that up, but yes.”

“Well, in the storm and in the light of her emotions distracting her, she accidentally made it to my apartment instead of yours. And because she knew you and I recognized her from you talking about her, I invited her in. So she stayed the night and then this morning we found out we’d been snowed in, so she’s hanging out until the streets are clear again.” There was a pause.

“You two didn’t… sleep together, did you?”

“ ** _Skye!_** ” both scientists cried together.

“Oh god, you did, didn’t you.”

“Skye, we didn’t _sleep_ together, not like _that_ , we just both ended up in a pile of blankets on the floor,” snapped Jemma. There was a pause as she stiffened, then in a small voice, added, “Oh. Well, that doesn’t sound much better, does it.”

“Well, it was completely innocent,” offered Fitz.

“Yeah, Skye, why are you calling, anyways?”

“Your parents.” Fitz’s gaze shot to Jemma, whose eyes were going wide. To fill the silence, Skye continued, “They’ve been calling me non-stop, like they usually do, only this time you aren’t here, and they’re panicking. They usually know where you are, and now you’re gone and there’s a snowstorm, so they’re majorly freaking out. I think they’re worried you got stuck outside on your way here and froze to death.”

“Good,” muttered Jemma under her breath, too low for Skye to hear, but Fitz tightened his arm around her and she pressed into him a little harder.

“So what are you going to do?” Fitz asked.

“I honestly don’t know. How do I tell them their daughter’s fine and just not answering their calls without them demanding to know where you are?”

“You could tell them I wouldn’t tell you anything beyond that I’m safe and well. That way they _can’t_ press you for information.” There was a pause as Skye considered this.

“I guess you’re right. If something else happens, I’ll call you, okay?”

“Okay, I’ll talk to you later then,” Jemma replied.

“And Fitz?”

“Yes?” Leo asked, dreading the answer.

“Take care of her, okay?”

“Of course,” he said almost immediately. Realizing how immediately, he flushed red and shifted a little, but Jemma stilled him with a hand on his leg and a smile.

“Good. If I wanted her to be anywhere, this is the best place I could think of. Stay safe and warm you two. Laters!”

“Bye,” they answered synonymously. With a _click_ , Skye was gone and Jemma and Fitz just sat there a moment, still taking the conversation in.

“Well then,” Jemma offered when the silence started to edge towards awkward.

“That was interesting,” Fitz added.

“Exceptionally. They hardly ever look until the fourth day.”

“Really?”

“Occasionally the fifth,” she murmured, words becoming a little slurred as she yawned. Leo yawned as well, shifting so that Jemma was more comfortable against him. “I’m tired, Fitz.”

“You don’ mind if we just fall asleep here?” he asked.

“Mm-mm.” With that, she curled on her side and let Fitz arrange himself around her before tucking herself up against him, her breathing slowing as she lapsed into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long! I've got a lot going on with college apps and all sorts of things right now, so it's kind of unknown when chapters will be popping up. Sorry! Hopefully everyone had a merry Christmas or a happy Hanukkah or a lovely holiday, depending on what you celebrate. Have a happy new year you guys!


	7. Chapter 7

Loud, slamming knocks on Fitz’s door made him jump awake, blinking frantically until he realized he was curled around Jemma on the couch. Carefully, he tried to detangle himself from her, but another three knocks sent him rushing to go look through the peephole before whoever it was broke down the door. Flicking on the lights, he squinted to see through the small circle of glass.

“Jemma, please come ‘n over here an’ tell me this isn’ who I think it is.”

“Why are you whispering?” she whispered back, coming up next to him and getting on her toes to look through the little peephole. The change was almost instantaneous. She paled and almost staggered back from the door, eyes wide and fear dilating her pupils.

“Jemma. Jemma, look at me.” She glanced over at him quickly, like a deer in the headlights. “Jemma, go into m’ room an’ hide. If he’s lookin’ for you, I’ll tell him I don’ even know who y’ are, other than tha’ Skye mentioned you, okay? If things get bad, you can go out th’ fire escape an’ up a floor. Knock on th’ window and th’ guy there should let you in. His name’s Ward, he’s Skye’s boyfriend. You’ve heard of him, righ’? Okay, go, go, go,” he murmured. In a panic, she took off running for the room and quietly closed the door behind her with a soft _click_.

“Jemma, I know you’re in there!” a voice roared from the other side of the door. Making sure the latch was still on, Fitz opened the door a crack.

“Umm, sorry?” he said, furrowing his brow in what he hoped was a convincing manner. “I think you have the wrong apartment.”

“No, you have Jemma here! Where is she?!”

“Who the hell is Jemma?”

“You’re Fitz, you’re the one Skye was talking to! I know she’s here!” _Crap_ , Fitz thought, _he must have shown up as Skye’s place when we were on the phone_. _C’mon, Fitz, you can fake something convincing._

“Skye… Oh, right, I think she might have mentioned someone with that name. She kept saying that I’d have to meet her. I’m sorry, sir, but she isn’t here.”

“Lies,” the man practically growled.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you heard, but she isn’t here. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to leave. I was just in the middle of a movie.”

“So if I call Jemma’s phone, it won’t ring in there,” Jemma’s father said, pulling out his phone. Crossing his fingers behind the door, Fitz hoped Jemma had taken her phone with her.

“No, it won’t.” In a second, he had pressed speed dial. Then, a light buzzing rang through the room and Fitz nearly fainted.

“I knew it!” he roared. “Let me see my damn daughter you asshole!” Fitz grit his teeth.

“No.”

“What?” Jemma’s father growled, voice threatening.

“No, you can’t come in. Your daughter is an adult and she can decide what she wants, and right now she doesn’t want to see you.” There was a second pause, and then the man in front of him seemed to swell in anger. _Shit, shit, shit, shitshitshitshit-_

“ ** _You let me in right now or I’ll call the cops on you for holding my daughter hostage!!!!_** ” Fitz nearly groaned, then saw a piece of paper being slipped under the door from his bedroom.

 _I’m going to Ward’s, let him in to prove I’m not here in a few minutes_. The piece of paper retracted again, and with renewed courage, Fitz turned back to the door.

“Sir that would only end badly for you, as you’d be calling the police on false charges.”

“No, I’m still legally her father and guardian and you are keeping me from seeing her!”

“Still not a hostage situation.”

“I demand you let me in **_immediately!_** ”

“ ** _She doesn’t want to see you!_** ” Fitz snapped back. “You’ve hit her and abused her and you don’t **_deserve_** to see her!” In the corner of his eye, he saw Jemma shivering as she climbed the fire escape. As soon as she was out of view, he snapped, “Fine, you want to see her? Come on in, she’s not here!” Quickly he shut the door and undid the bolt, letting the man into his apartment and leaned back against the wall. Ten minutes passed as the old man threw open every hiding place he could think of roaring his daughter’s name. He stormed through Fitz’s room and everywhere possible, but after another few minutes, walked back to the door.

“That isn’t over, you little rat,” he growled at Fitz. “I know she’s here somewhere. You just wait.” With that, he stormed out, slamming the front door behind him with a _bang_. Groaning and running a hand through his hair, Fitz placed the bolt in place and locked the door as well before opening his window and climbing up to Ward’s.

Three knocks and two frozen feet later, he was inside Ward’s apartment. As soon as he clambered through the window, Jemma jumped on him, hugging him tight with her hands looped around his neck.

“Oh, Fitz,” she murmured, cheek pressed to his chest. Gently, he ran a hand up and down her back, comforting her as she clung to him. Looking up, he saw Ward looking at him with a raised eyebrow and nodded to him. Mouthing the words _no problem_ , the owner of the apartment slipped out the door, closing it quietly behind him.

“Hey, Jems, it’s okay.” She nodded into his chest and it was then he noticed the tears in her eyes. “Jems, Jemma, it’s okay. What’s wrong?”

“It’s- It’s just that no-nobody’s ever done that f-f-for me before.”

“What?”

“Stood- Stood up for me like-like that. Th-thank you,” she managed to get out before breaking down in his arms. He quietly did his best to comfort her, running a hand down her hair and whispering little comforts into her ear. After a while, he sobs quieted and she sniffed a bit before saying, “Oh, we should probably… probably get back home.” He nodded and told her to go on ahead, that he needed to talk to Ward really fast. She moved to leave, then paused. Quickly, as if she was trying to make sure she didn’t stop herself, she went up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek before quickly hopping out the window and heading home.

Fitz stood frozen in shock for a moment- had Jemma really kissed him?- and then remembered what he had to do.

“Hey, Ward,” he said, poking his head into the living room.

“Over here,” Ward called from the couch.

“We’re heading back, but I just wanted to say thanks. Did she explain…?” Ward glanced up from the television with an eyebrow raised.

“In a small flurry of tears, yeah. I think she was freaked that you’d get yourself killed. How’d he even get over here?”

“From the mess on his boots, he walked. Some of the streets must be cleared, and pure determination probably got him through the rest.” There was a pause. Then Ward nodded, shifted.

“If it happens again, send her up here. We both know abuse like that’s nothing to mess with.” Something dark glinted in his eyes and Fitz nodded. He knew that look all too well.

“Thanks, Ward. Really.” Grant just nodded and so Fitz slipped out the window, closing it behind him and hurrying down the fire escape.

When he slipped in the window, he found Jemma curled up in a small ball on his bed, shaking with repressed tears. Carefully, as not to spook her, he slid the window shut and walked over to the side of the bed, sitting down slowly and listening as the bedsprings creaked a touch under his weight. Her eyes darted up to his and he slowly, ever so slowly, reached out a hand and brushed her hair away from her face.

“Hey,” he whispered.

“Hey,” she choked out in response. It was gentle, the way he was stroking her hair, and it made her feel safer somehow. Like he was protection.

“Fitz?” she whispered after a moment, pulling herself more upright.

“Yeah?” In response, she opened her arms and he was there almost immediately, cradling her in strong arms. Her arms were looped around his neck and her face was pressed there as she let her tears fall and choked out small sobs. He didn’t seem to mind the wet spot blossoming at his collar and murmured something she couldn’t catch to her, but it comforted her all the same. His voice was soft in her ear, tinged with the thickness of his accent that somehow felt more like home than her parents’ ever did. She was pressed up flush against him and could feel where the snow had pulled the heat from him, how his ears were icicles and where his fingers slowly running up and down her back were leaving little chilled trails. She could feel his heartbeat, steady and constant and strong against his ribcage and she let herself crumple a little bit against him. _It’s so easy to be weak when someone strong is protecting you_.

They stayed like this until her sobs had quieted, until her shaking had stopped and his fingers were warm again. She was weighed down with a feeling that she could only describe as _exhaustion_ , her limbs and eyelids heavy. As she slowly drifted into a half-sleep state, she felt Fitz setting her down in bed, pulling the covers up around her, his warmth leaving hers.

“Fitz…” she managed to murmur. “Fitz?”

“Yes, Jemma?” He was by the door, and the lights went out.

“Please stay.” There was a pause, and her brow furrowed.

“…Leo?” Her voice broke on his name and she tried to struggle upright. And then a warm weight was sitting on the edge of the mattress, moving to lay down next to her and she let out a small breath of relief. He nudged her over a touch and tucked himself in the empty space next to her, giving her space she didn’t want. Scrambling slightly, she nestled herself into his side and felt reassurance wash over her as he reached an arm over her and carefully tucked himself around her.

“Please don’t leave me,” she whispered brokenly into his chest.

“I won’t,” he promised.

The last thing Jemma felt before she drifted off to sleep was a soft kiss pressed to her hair and a hand tangling its fingers with hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello loves! I'm so sorry, but I have little to no idea of where this is going. I have this and a couple scenes after that I'll probably upload in a few weeks. If you have any ideas to how this should conclude, please please please tell me! Thank you for reading and comments are always welcome! <3


	8. Chapter 8

In the morning, Fitz woke to Jemma whimpering and turning over in bed. “Fitz?” she gasped suddenly, spinning back to face him as she said his name.

“Right here,” he mumbled, looking at her with worry. “Are you okay?” Her breathing was slowing a little, and she moved back towards him with a nod. “Dream about your dad?” A nod, her face now pressed against his chest. “It’s okay. You’re at my place and he’s not here. It even started snowing again, so he’s not coming back.” She nodded again against his chest and he put an arm around her, tangling their legs together.

“What time is it?” she murmured. Turning best he could to not disturb her, he stretched to look at the clock on his nightstand.

“Six thirteen.”

“Sleep. At least another hour,” she mumbled.

“Or longer,” he said, tucking himself around her again. “We had a long night.”

“Mm-hmm,” she hummed, already lapsing into the deep breaths and lax muscles of sleep.

Fitz, however, didn’t. As he looked down at the girl in his arms, he couldn’t help but wonder how he got here. Three days ago he’d been the most solitary guy on the planet, and now he couldn’t imagine going about his day without her. She’d popped in one day and just clicked into his life like the perfect puzzle piece. She was always at the same speed when he talked science to her, maybe even faster, and that in itself was rare. Not to mention the fact that they’d become so comfortable with each other so fast. Fitz hardly got on with anyone- his only real friends were Skye and Ward, mainly because of the entire “child genius” thing he’d grown up with. Only a couple people really knew what it felt like to be different, and yet still treat each other perfectly normal. When people had heard about his story or his intelligence, he either received pity or uneasiness, and he got along with neither. Those two had been the only ones to treat him normally- mainly because they each had their own issues, as well. Skye was orphaned when she was hardly ten days old and had bounced around awful foster care homes for a decent portion of her life until she’d found Coulson and May, while Ward had been abused by his brother and occasionally his parents, if they were even home. And with Fitz’s dad, he fit right in with them. And now Jemma was here, with her own problems but acting like they all did, pretending wounds were more healed than they were and keeping their chins up as they moved on. And she clicked with them, fit their little mold, and she was wonderful to him and he didn’t want to imagine when she’d have to leave.

She let out a little sigh as she slept, rolling towards him and he smiled softly. Nestling next to her, he let his thoughts go and followed her into the soft grey of rest.

Fitz woke at seven and quietly, carefully pulled his arm from around Jemma’s shoulders, gently uncurling her fingers from where they were balled in his shirt. As he gently tucked her hands back under the covers, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of worry in his gut. She couldn’t go back to that man. He knew that abuse and that she needed to get away from it.

He was gently pulling the strands of hair from her face when the thought hit him.

* * *

 

A half-hour later, Jemma wandered into the kitchen to find Fitz pouring two cups of tea and two mostly-burnt bagels on the table.

“You really can’t cook, can you?” she asked, settling in front of one of the bagels and scraping at the burnt bits with the butterknife.

“I told you so.” There was a dull _thump_ as the two mugs settled on the wood. She smiled and accepted the cup, taking a sip and letting the warmth run through her body. There was a pause as Fitz offered her the marmalade and took a deep breath.

“Jemma can I- I want to- I-” he cut himself off and shook his head violently.

“Are you okay?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Move in.”

“What?”

“Move in here. You can’t- you can’t go back to him. I know Skye doesn’t have room in her apartment but I have room here and I know I haven’t really thought everything through and-”

“Fitz.”

“-but I know what it’s like to have a dad like that and you have to get away from him and I don’t know any other out so I’m offering-”

“Fitz.” He stopped, the words catching in his throat. “Let me think about it. You’re really sweet to offer and everything but… I’ve only really known you for three days.” She shifted the cup of tea in her hands awkwardly. “And you’ve been amazing- don’t get me wrong, I’m amazingly grateful for how you took me in and helped me even when you only knew me through Skye’s ramblings. And it feels like we just… click or something, it really does. But it’s only been three days. So let me think this through, yeah?”

“Yeah. ‘Course.” They ate quietly for a bit.

“You will stay around for a little longer, though, right?” Fitz asked softly.

“Yeah. I don’t think I can go home right after yesterday.”

It was then that the power cut out.

A minute and a half of slightly stunned darkness later, Fitz swore under his breath and stood up.

Quickly, he pulled open a drawer and tossed Jemma a candle, withdrawing another and lighting it with a match as Jemma used the stove to light the one she held. In their efficient no-verbal-communication-needed way, they systematically lit the room with flickering candlelight.

“I’ve always loved candles,” she commented as they finished up. “Just the way the light flickers on the walls. It’s comforting, I guess.” He nodded.

“So what do you want to do today, since we’ve got no power?”

“How do you feel about board games?” A grin broke over his face at her words, and he pulled a box from the closet, board games stacked at least four layers above the top lip.

“Do I even need to say anything?” he asked, and her laughter made him feel strangely light, like gravity had decreased its pull on him and he’d drift from the ground if it loosened its hold any more.

They spent the day playing game after game (and very deliberately avoiding Monopoly). Fitz found out Jemma was unnaturally good at Clue, despite her deep inability to lie when he asked her various questions. Jemma quickly found out why no one would ever play Jenga with engineers (and the story behind why Skye had warned her against it).

Eight hours, six different board games, and four almost-impossible Jenga towers later, FitzSimmons cleaned up the last of the board games and Leo went to go make them each a cup of tea.


	9. Chapter 9

“Looks like our street is clear now,” he commented, looking out the window as he returned. “I’m worried your dad might come back.”

“Mm-hmm,” Jemma hummed, curled up on the couch under a mountain of blankets. “What should we do if he does?” Something warm blossomed in Fitz’s chest at the casual way she said “we” and he handed the mug to the arm sticking out of the fluffy mound.

“Well, if he shows up, when you head up, maybe you should send Ward down. He’s big and scary, right?” Sighing a little, he sat down next to the mountain of blankets and smiled at where Jemma’s eyes peeked out. “I mean, he’s head security for Stark Industries and knows more kinds of martial arts than I can remember.”

“Good idea.” There was a pause as Jemma sipped the beverage in her hands. “Fitz, can I ask about your dad?” He let out a slow breath, and she quickly followed with “It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me.”

“No, it’s alright. You deserve to know. I know about yours, after all.” She nodded and let him take his time. “My mum and I used to live out in Scotland. Glasglow, specifically. And my dad was still with us. He was an awful man. Always drunk, and not just a drunk, but a mean drunk. He’d come home and go after me, and my mom always stood up to him. Then he’d go after her.” He stop to take a breath. “When I was fourteen, I was in my senior year of high school because of the, you know, freaky genius kid thing. And so one day my dad showed up to pick me up from school instead of my mum. I didn’t argue and he swerved out of the parking lot.” He shook his head as if to clear it, fast and sudden and not in any kind of control. “I just keep remembering clinging to the edge of the seat as the car swung back and forth. And the thing is, there was a bridge on the way home. He was still swerving, and we went- we went over the edge. He was knocked unconscious and the water was just enough to cover the car and I remember banging on the door trying to get out and then water was starting to fill the car. I knew the laws of pressure but my mind was so scrambled I kept just banging and screaming for help until the water made it up to my head. Then, in a rush of adrenaline or panic or _something_ , I remembered and took a breath of air before the water filled up the car and I managed to open the door. The current swept me away and I don’t remember much after that. All I know is a guy going fishing found me on the bank and called an ambulance.” He shrugged a little bit. “That’s about it. I can’t really go swimming anymore. Showers are about as much water as I can take. And then enclosed spaces and cars were ruined for me. I generally take the subway everywhere I can.” He looked at her again, and saw the look of understanding in her eyes. She knew he was acting strong about the one thing that made him feel weak for a reason. She knew how much guts it took him to tell her.

“Thank you for telling me,” she said softly. He nodded mutely. There was a moment of peaceful quiet and she reached out to wrap her fingers around his and squeeze reassuringly.

“We’re quite the little group, aren’t we?” she asked with a whisper. “You, me, Skye, Ward- a little band of misfits.”

”Yeah.”

They sat for a bit, sipping their tea in the quiet, Jemma not letting go of Fitz’s hand. As they slowly finished their tea, she put her mug on the coffee table and scooted closer to him, tugging the blankets over him and tucking into his side, arms around his waist. He leaned back into her touch, and they curled up together, holding each other close.

They didn’t say anything. They didn’t really need to. It was just pure, raw comfort, and they were both wrapped up in it.

Then the phone rang.

Jemma sat upright, still pressed against his side but Fitz still felt a swoop of disappointment in his gut.

“Hey, Skye,” Jemma said, forcing the chipper into her voice.

“Why’re you calling?” Fitz asked, a little disgruntled by the interruption.

“Well, Simmons’s dad called and accused me of planting a false conversation with you when he was sneaking around outside my door to lead him ‘off the scent’, as he put it.”

“Oh, shit. Sorry. I should have called you after that happened,” Jemma said, flushing red. “Everything was a bit…”

“It was a long night, Skye. We got back here and pretty promptly passed out,” Fitz added. There was a sigh from the other end of the line.

“Right, where the hell did you hide her? Because if that son of a bitch couldn’t sniff her out and she was there, then he’s either getting _really_ old or you’re magic or some shit.”

“Your boyfriend’s apartment, up a fire escape.”

“Smart,” Skye said thoughtfully. “What if he comes back?”

“I was thinking we could shoot him,” Fitz offered, only half-joking.

“ _Fitz!_ ”

“What?”

“We can’t _shoot_ him.”

“Why not?”

“You’d get arrested and he’s still human.”

“He’s human?”

“I love it how ‘you’d get arrested’ comes first,” Skye added.

“Shut up,” they said in unison.

“Adorable,” she laughed, half to herself. “But honestly, guys, are you going to send Jemma up to live at my boyfriend’s apartment now?”

“We could always shoot him with the Night-Night gun.”

“Still hypothetical, and even if we had a prototype, we have to do a bunch of paperwork and test it.”

“Can you make a bomb with your chemistry-cooking stuff?”

“No.”

“It that a ‘no I can’t’ or a ‘no I won’t’?”

“It’s a-”

“ _Guys!_ ” The two silenced at her tone, and Skye continued, “I swear to god, you talk so fast you’re basically one person. Anyways, can I talk to the Jemma half right now? There’re some things we need to discuss.” Fitz raised an eyebrow and Jemma nodded, so he stood up, noticing the cold space on his side as he did.

“Fine, I’ll go check the kitchen for whatever we’re eating for dinner.”

“Don’t try and cook, okay?” the biochemist asked, looking up at him with a light smirk on her lips. “We kind of need that kitchen in one piece.” He made a face at her and she laughed and gave his arm shove.

“And no eavesdropping!” the hacker called as he left the room.

He tried not to. He really did. But after finding Sapphire sleeping in the breadbox with a half-eaten roll and the remains of an anchovy (honestly, he had started to wonder where she’d disappeared to) and a decent meal (if Jemma was willing to cook it), there really wasn’t much more to do. Casually gathering the kitten in his arms, he moved to lean in the doorway between the two rooms, one hand idly stroking the kitten’s head.

“-getting really homey with him. You usually don’t accustom to people this easily.”

“I know, Skye, but it’s odd. Something just… clicks, you know? I can talk science with someone my own age, and he understands my past and he’s nice and-” Her voice dropped off rather abruptly.

“Skye.” It was now abrupt, low, nearly quivering with nerves.

“Yes?”

“Skye, I think there’s something wrong with me.”

“I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with you. You’re just feeling a deep human attachment called _attraction_.”

“ _Skye!_ ”

“What? Tell me you don’t have the hots for him. Honestly.”

“I- I don’t like- not at all- no way-”

“Honey, did I ever tell you how awful you are at lying?”

“ _Yes!_ ”

“Do I need to reiterate?”

“ _No!_ ”

“Good. So you have the hots for him. I don’t blame you. Not a bad looker, stood up to your dad, blabbers science with you. Man, I couldn’t have found you a better boyfriend if I crafted him with my own two hands.”

“ _Skye!_ ”

“Not even joking.”

“Skye, I don’t think you understand. He offered to let me _move in with him_.” There was finally a pause from the other end of the line, and so Jemma started nervous-rambling again.

“He’s only platonically offering and he knows about the dad thing and he understands the dad thing and he said he’s offering me an ‘out’ and I really want to take it but how do I take something like that in good faith when I’m crushing on the guy I’d be living with and I’d just make things awkward and he wouldn’t kick me out because of guilt and it’d be _awful_ Skye and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do in these situations and I don’t know how I should respond I told him I’d think about it because I’m not supposed to be attracted like this to someone I met three days ago and-”

“Jemma, Jesus Christ, _breathe_ ,” interjected the hacker. She did, sucking in a rattling breath as the hacker waited for her to calm down. It was then Fitz realized that he had stopped breathing as well. In fact, most thinking had stopped. He was frozen in place, only real thought running through his head a constant stream of _shelikesmeshelikesmeshelikesmeshelikesme-_

“Just think it through, Simmons. Seriously, he is right about the dad thing. You’ve spent way too long in that house. But if you don’t feel comfortable, then don’t.” There was a audible sigh. “I can’t tell you what to do here. This one’s up to you, okay?” There was a slight pause.

“Good luck, girlie. Call me when you decide.”

 _Click_.


	10. Chapter 10

Jemma sat there, emotionless and numb for a few seconds, and Fitz tried to act like he hadn’t heard a thing. _Normal. Act normal_. Casually, he wandered into the room, handing Jemma the kitten and flopping down next to her on the couch.

“Hey, so there’re some noodles if you can boil ‘em and some pre-made sauce we can throw together.” There was a pause as Jemma continued to stare blankly ahead, her only sign of thought a hand gently running down Sapphire’s head. “Are you alright?”

“What?” she blurted, snapping out of her trance. “Oh, yes, of course. Skye just gave me… she just gave me some things to think on.” _Awful liar_.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Wha- no. No, I’m fine. Perfectly fine. Pasta you said?”

“Yeah. There’s ready-made alfredo sauce and everything.”

“Great. If you clean up the board game, I’ll cook,” she said, smiling. “I wouldn’t want you to burn the water, now.” Grinning and giving her a playful shrug, he reached forward and started to gather up the pieces.

“Sounds perfect.”

When Jemma came back with dinner, not only the board games but a decent portion of the living room was clear. Raising an eyebrow, she handed him dinner and settled on the couch next to him. Of course, Sapphire quickly followed, springing up between them to beg for bits of noodle. They ate in companionable silence for most of the dinner, occasionally broken up by a comment or two or the slightly more frequent “Look out, the cat’s eyeing your food”.

Even after dinner, Jemma seemed distant and so after offering her the bed (which she soundly shot down again), he excused himself and went to bed. Strangely, it felt too big for him and he tossed and turned for too long that night, trying not to miss the feeling of her in his arms.

When he woke up, she was in his arms anyways.

Light was streaming through the window and Fitz was doing his best to ignore it. It was too early and he was comfortable with the blankets pulled up and a heavy warmth resting on his shoulder and another next to his head. Groaning slightly, he turned to the side.

And got a mouthful of fur.

Spitting and cursing under his breath, he quickly withdrew and tried to wipe out the taste of cat in his mouth. Using his shirt as a towel, he tried to take out as much hair as he could before turning to the other side and gently leaning forward to bump his forehead against the crown of Jemma’s head.

_Wait, what?_

His brain finally catching up, he realized that the biochemist was sleeping half-on-top of him, her head pillowed on his shoulder. Her arm was haphazardly flung over his chest and a leg was curled around his, essentially keeping him from moving away. Of course, most of this looked accidental, something people did in their sleep when they were dreaming or tossing around. _Still, it’s kind of nice_ , he mused. Then- _wait. How-?_

Glancing towards the door and then back to the girl in his bed, he tried to work out why on earth she was curled up with him when she had _distinctly said_ last night that she was fine with the couch. Not that he minded, of course. The door was half-opened, and he could see out to where a mess of blankets was heaped on the edge of the couch. Gently, Fitz tried to move her arm from his chest to her side. Then he quietly slipped his leg from hers, trying the best he could not to jostle her. _And now for the hardest part_. Slowly, he eased a hand under her cheek, gently lifting up her head so he could shift over a few inches and let her down again on the pillow. Letting out a small sigh of relief when she didn’t stir, he pulled the blankets up over her shoulders and slipped out, closing the door behind him with hardly a sound.

Twenty minutes later, a bleary-eyed Jemma nearly stumbled out of the room.

“Morning,” said Fitz, offering her a cup of tea.

“Morning.” Sitting down, she rubbed her eyes and blinked a couple times. “What time is it?”

“Almost eight. Why?”

“Calculating how much sleep I got.”

“And?”

“Four hours.” Fitz stared.

“What?”

“I was stressed. I get awful insomnia when I’m stressed,” she said, shrugging and taking another sip of tea.

“Over what Skye told you?”

“Yeah.”

“Better now?”

“A bit.”

“Good.” There was a moment of quiet. Then Jemma sighed and put down the mug with a _clink_.

“I curled up in your bed because I needed comfort to help alleviate the stress. Sorry,” she apologized, answering the unasked question.

“It’s perfectly fine,” he said, shrugging it off. _I liked it_ , he thought. _You’re warm and I don’t know why but I think I love you_. He stiffened suddenly as the words raced across his brain, shaking his head to clear it. _Wait, what?_

“Thanks.” She didn’t seem to have noticed anything happening in his head, the way her eyes were fixed on the mug in front of her and slightly glazed.

“Jem?” Both her head and her gaze jerked up to look at him, and she stared with wide eyes. “Jemma, you need sleep. Go back to bed- I’ll wake you up in a couple of hours, okay?”

“I- I don’t think I can.” Her brow was pinched and eyes were back on her mug as she said it, zombie-like in the way her jaw hung ever so slightly.

“Could you go to sleep if I was there?” he asked softly, bending forward so he was level with her. There was a moment of quiet as she processed the question. Then, the tiniest of nods and a whisper of _maybe_. “Come on, love.” The words fell thoughtlessly from his lips as he reached over and eased her up, pulling her to the bedroom. When he sat down on the edge of the bed, she half-collapsed onto it, gravitating to where he laid down and tucking herself into the curve of his body. Fitz let a hand run a rhythm up and down her spine in time to the little puffs of air that hit his shirt.

“Fitz?” It was hardly a breath, but he could feel the way she struggled to get out the word before sleep dragged her under. Gently moving a hand up to caress the crown of her head, he took a second before responding.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“Of course.” The words were out before he could even think, a promise under the guise of a response. “Of course, Jem.”

After a few moments, the light breaths became slower, steadier as her fingers bunched in the fabric of his shirt loosened their grip and her muscles relaxed. Ever so careful not to wake her, he gradually pulled himself away and tucked the sheets around her sleeping form. Leaving a note on the nightstand telling her where he was going, he slipped out the window and headed up the ladder.

 _Tap-tap, tap-tap_. Brow furrowed, Ward made his way to the window and slid it open so the lanky engineer could crawl through.

“Hey, Ward. Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Watching as Fitz righted himself, he closed the window again and swept the snow off into a corner. “What’s up?”

“I was wondering if I could ask some advice.” Raising an eyebrow, Grant gestured to the living room.

“Come on, then.”

Ten minutes later, Fitz had vented everything from the day Jemma arrived to the overheard conversation to the _I think I love her_. Ward had sat there, stone-faced the entire time, just listening to the story. Fitz wasn’t afraid of judgment- never was, with Ward- and just let himself keep rambling until he finished with “-and so I left her so she could sleep and came up here to talk to you because I don’t know what to do.” There was a pause as his friend just took everything in. Then-

“And telling her is out of the question?”

“Yes.” The answer was almost immediate. “Well, no. I mean, yes, it is but not really. Kind of. I mean, I shouldn’t. But she deserves to know. But-”

“Fitz.” His voice dropped off. “Breathe.” He did, sucking in a slow breath of air. “Listen, you’ve known this girl for all of what, three days? Give it some time, all right?”

“Yeah,” breathed Fitz, the word more air than sound. “Yeah, okay.”

“Just chill. If something happens, it happens. Just let it rest for a bit and if you still feel that way in a while, we can confront it then.” Clapping his friend on the shoulder, he stood. “You’ll be fine. C’mon, champ, you better get back down there before she wakes up.” Nodding, Fitz made his way to the window, only stopping for a moment.

“Thanks, Ward.”

“No problem.” There was a nod in Fitz’s direction, and so he scrambled down the ladder and back through the window, taking care not to wake Jemma as he slid the panel of glass back down in place. Letting out a little sigh as he saw her nestled in his sheets, he slid out of the room to flop down on the couch and flip on the television. Sapphire settled at his side, _mrr_ -ing and butting her head against his leg in a plea for attention. Stifling a smile, he reached over and scratched behind her ears, continuing the gentle motion as she began to rumble with contentment.

Jemma emerged from the room a few hours later, sleepily rubbing her eyes with the sleeves of his too-large jumper.

“Mornin’,” she mumbled, walking over to where he sat and half-collapsing against him.

“Mornin’,” he replied, casually slipping an arm around her and doing everything in his mental power to push off this morning’s realization. “Get some more sleep?”

“Plenty, thank you.” There was a pause as Sapphire leapt up from his side and decided to go snuggle in between him and Jemma instead, still purring. “Hey, sweetheart,” she cooed to the kitten as her fingers ran down Sapphire’s back.

“Was that to me or the cat?” he asked teasingly. She laughed and scrunched up her face at him.

“The kitten, you prat.” Giving him a light shove, she kissed the top of the Sapphire’s head and continued, “Skye jokes that you haven’t got a heart, just a mess of wires, so I could hardly call you sweetheart, you know. And there’s nothing sweet about you. Unless, that is, I was counting the sheer quantity of sugar in your tea.”

“Hey!” Her smile was light and teasing, though, so he let it go and instead settled more comfortably against her.

“So how much longer are we expected to be snowed in?”

“What, sick of me already?” he joked, causing her to playfully stick her tongue out at him. Laughing, he continued, “Yeah, no, they’re saying they’ll finish up tomorrow and we can all go back to work on Monday.” Her brow furrowed. “Tomorrow’s Saturday.”

“Oh. Okay.” Her brow suddenly bunched. “How am I supposed to dress for work?” There was a pause, and Fitz glanced over to where she was focusing on her hands.

“You could… ask Skye to pick some stuff up? I really think it’s an awful idea to go back there yourself-”

“I can’t just send Skye,” she snapped, cutting him off. Eyes a bit wide, he nodded quietly and let her continue her silence. Sapphire meowed loudly, feeling neglected without Jemma’s constant strokes down her back, and so Fitz took up where she’d left off. After a long while, Jemma finally spoke again.

“…I’ve been thinking about your offer.”

“Evident, considering you just went silent for ten minutes.”

“… Is it still open?” Fitz smiled.

“Of course.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi loves! New chapter, and sorry for taking so long :) I'm swinging in between a whole host of AUs right now, and so everything's taking a bit longer than planned (plus school and robotics, my schedule is just crazy right now). Hope you all enjoy and please remember that comments are the best thing that you could ever give me! <3


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